The Electronic Intifada 4 January 2021
Israel is threatening to wipe a Palestinian village off the map.
Farasin, in the occupied West Bank near Jenin, has 200 residents.
It is located in Area C – the 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli military control according to the Oslo accords of the 1990s.
While Jewish settlers are allowed to build freely, Israel bars virtually all new construction in Area C by Palestinians.
Despite owning the land, Palestinians have no choice but to build without Israeli permits. They live in constant fear that their homes will be demolished and that they will face fines.
Israel’s Civil Administration, the bureaucratic arm of its military occupation, ordered the demolition of Ahmad Amarneh’s small home in the village as he was building it.
Amarneh then moved to one of the village’s historic caves, “because it does not require an Israeli permit, or so I thought,” he told The Electronic Intifada.
In July, Israeli occupation forces ordered Amarneh to leave the cave.
“I had exactly 96 hours to evacuate,” he said.
Since he did not do any new construction, Amarneh thought he was safe from Israel’s demolitions.
“I didn’t build a villa or a house. I didn’t build anything, not even a tent. I found something that already existed, built by nature, and I lived in it,” Amarneh said.
“And now they say it’s not allowed and that they will destroy it. I feel incredibly sad.”
Mohammed Amarneh, another village resident, experienced two Israeli demolitions in two years.
“The feeling is indescribable because there’s no justice,” Mohammed told The Electronic Intifada.
“Any settler whose father and grandfather are unknown can come and live here in outposts that cover 1,000 square meters, while I’m forbidden from building on even 10 square meters,” he continued.
“I can’t even build a bathroom in my house.”
Video by Akram al-Wa’ara.
